One

One
of the first people through the doors of The Hoxton,
Shepherd’s Bush didn’t have a booking for one of the hotel’s 237
rooms, nor a reservation at Chet’s, the Thai-Americana diner led by
Kris Yenbamroong of LA’s NIGHT + MARKET.

“He used to have his office in the building,” explains the team
member we get chatting to on check-in. “He wanted to go up to that
bit to have a look at how it’d been transformed.”

Lock, stock and barrel, he would’ve discovered: the original
Threshold and Union House, a 1950s block that housed Shepherd’s
Bush post office, was demolished and the EPR Architects-designed
new hotel built from the ground up (in three different colours of
brick). In a nod to legendary local showbiz haunts – BBC Television
Centre, Bush Hall, Shepherd’s Bush Empire – an illuminated,
cinema-style awning out front carries the words: READY TO ROCK.

Retro room interiors, left, and the nostalgic front
desk.

The arrival of the fourth Hoxton in the capital has created an
effect a little like when you paint a single shelf, only to realise
the whole room is now screaming out for a refresh. The surrounding
neighbourhood – well-serviced by phone unlocking spots and betting
shops – is going to have to pull its socks up if it doesn’t want to
be outshone by its sexy new resident, but this is surely what the
group – no stranger to a site ripe for regeneration – had in mind.
The original, 2006-opened Hoxton rose in a repurposed Shoreditch
car park, while the soon-to-open Brussels iteration will be housed in the brutalist
Victoria Tower, former European HQ of IBM, north of the city
centre.

Here in W12, interiors come courtesy of Ennismore’s AIME
Studios, echoing retro London transport looks, with nostalgic
patterns and sunny, plummy colours lifted from the TFL archives in
the nearby London Transport Museum Depot. It’s apt. Leaving the
rumble of buses behind and stepping into the gaily lit lobby is
transportive. Arranged around a centrepiece bar are rugs by local
company Homes Bespoke and vintage 70s furniture, with walls brought
to life by paintings, prints and mixed-media collages, including
statement-sized works by figurative artist Cece Philips and
abstracts by Hannah Ludnow, plus pot plants, ferns and foliage
enough to lend some tropical va-va-voom. But the biggest buzz comes
from the crowd, made up of cool-kid creatives knocking back
cocktails, and urbane, multi-gen family groups out for supper, all
of whom, you get the feeling, have been itching for a chance to get
inside ever since the covers came off the glossy new facade.

It’s all change here. Goodbye, staplers, Bisley filing cabinets
and photocopiers; hello, lychee martinis, yellow miso aubergine and
fried chicken khao soi. The Hoxton, Shepherd’s Bush promises to
bring the house down.

Thai-Americana diner Chet’s.

Rooms

Bedrooms are compact but bijou. Ours, a 17sq m Cosy Park,
overlooks Shepherd’s Bush Green. Watching the world go by through
the huge – soundproofed – window is hypnotic – perhaps why the TV
comes minus the usual streaming services. The king-size bed boasts
a wavy, textured headboard, with peachy walls and a coppery ceiling
adding warmth. There’s a full-length mirror with scalloped edges,
glass lampshades in shades of chocolate eclair and cream puff, and
a desk and wardrobe area, incorporating a mini-fridge. We love the
black, rotary-dial phone (with free international calls),
vintage-look Roberts radio and flattering light cast by the duo of
rattan-shaded bedside lamps.

The box-fresh bathroom is big and bright, with minty-green
walls, rainfall showers and full-sized toiletries from The Hoxton’s
own line, Blank.

What’s for breakfast?

Following rave reviews for its three-month Hoxton, Holborn
pop-up, Chet’s Thai-Americana diner has found a permanent home here
– and breakfast just got a whole lot more interesting. Start with a
good, simple American filter coffee, then throw caution to the
wind. We’re talking caramel-battered babka French toast with lime
syrup and whipped Thai-tea butter, the house bodega sandwich, with
sai uah sausage, egg, cheese and umami ketchup, and crispy Chiang
Rai-style fried chicken with hot honey. Ideally, go early: you
might need time for a pre-lunch nap.

Lunch and dinner?

Chet’s, the encore. The busy open kitchen only goes to emphasise
the laid-back ambience of the dining space, characterised by high,
pink ceilings, caramel accents and cute curtained-off areas.

Not without good reason has chef Kris Yenbamroong received
multiple James Beard award nominations. The roti and curry sauce is
a good place to start, before moving on to the likes of a fiery
larb gai, made with minced chicken and lime, and Chet’s fully
loaded smashburger. Our server informs us that any dish can be
customised to make it milder or hotter, but we forget. Never mind.
Steam might be coming out of our ears, but the baptism by
Yenbamroong fire is worth it.

Is there a bar?

The central wraparound bar, finished in lacquered reeded timber,
is the first thing you’ll clock on entering the hotel. With ferns
and succulents fringing an overhead curved chrome gantry stocked
with a rainbow of spirits, the air is altogether more five-star
Bangkok than BBC Television Centre.

In the mood to share? Go for the Bacardi-based Thai-ami vice,
which serves two to four and is served in a full moon bucket with
half a bottle of champagne and tropical fruits. Otherwise, the
lychee martini – made with Grey Goose, RinQuinQuin, manzanilla
sherry, lychee, Chet’s Super Sour and wakamomo – takes some
beating.

Interiors echo retro transport looks with nostalgic patterns
and sunny, plummy colours.

Amenities

Rooms come equipped with the basics, plus complimentary milk
from The Estate Diary, Nobl water, Lyons coffee bags and Clipper
tea. You’ll also get The Hoxton’s own guide to the Bush, which is
great for those who haven’t come with an itinerary in mind (and
would rather visit indie businesses than get sucked into hours
spent lost in nearby Westfiled shopping centre).

What are the hotel’s eco-credentials like?

The kind that stand up under scrutiny. From a collaboration with
zero-waste store Plastic Freedom, whose first bricks-and-mortar
retail space is here, to supporting the People’s Kitchen, which
provides those in need with a hot dinner, through an optional £1
donation added to your bill at Chet’s, The Hoxton is a champion.

What about accessibility?

Good. There are wheelchair-friendly rooms, three accessible
lifts and most of the action takes place in and around the
ground-floor lobby.

What’s the crowd like?

Celebratory. Perhaps because London’s west finally has its own
Hoxton. Perhaps because dogs are welcome. Either way, expect Friday
feels, every day.

Within a short walk I can find…

Stroll to Portobello Market to search for antique and vintage
treasures, then head back to base via Notting Hill for one of
Buns From
Home’s famously gooey cinnamon swirls, made with butter from
Burgundy and baked to perfection by local pastry chef Barney Goff.

Things I should know

If you can time your visit to coincide with the last Saturday of
the month, do it. In partnership with Ladbroke Grove’s Rough Trade
West, a regular party night will feature live music, experimental
performances and DJ sets that have very little in common with the
Top of the Pops recordings that once took place a stone’s throw
away.

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